Elmira weather in October

In October, Elmira sees average daytime highs of 59°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 3.6 in of precipitation across 10.4 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 64°F in the first days to 53°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Elmira's 4th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Elmira's year-round climate.

Daytime high
59°
6th warmest
Overnight low
42°
7th coldest
Precipitation
3.6 in
10.4 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:27 AM – 5:17 PM
Cloud cover
63%
4th clearest
Wind
7 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.81 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.4
out of 10

Elmira is city in Chemung County, New York, USA.

Density
1,437/km²
people per km²
Founded
1864

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 64°F in the first days to 53°F by the end.

A typical October day in Elmira reaches about 59°F in the afternoon and slips back to 42°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 47°F and 71°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 12°F cooler than September and about 12°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16547
26546
36446
46446
56345
66345
76345
86244
96244
106144
116143
126043
136043
146042
155942
165942
175841
185841
195741
205740
215640
225640
235640
245539
255539
265439
275438
285338
295338
305337
315237

How October really feels in Elmira

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 2 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
2
wind chill below the day's low

The story in October is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Elmira weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 18°2.69.97.59.30.0
Feb35° / 19°2.38.56.210.30.0
Mar43° / 27°3.4115.511.70.7
Apr56° / 38°3.712.31.813.13.6
May67° / 48°3.513.20.114.45.7
Jun76° / 57°3.711.60156.5
Jul80° / 61°3.311.3014.86.4
Aug78° / 59°3.410.7013.76.6
Sep71° / 52°3.99.6012.36.6
Oct59° / 42°3.610.40.410.84.4
Nov46° / 32°2.99.72.69.61.3
Dec36° / 24°3.09.75.390.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34753
44753
54654
64753
74753
84654
94654
104555
114456
124357
134357
144357
154258
164060
174060
183961
194060
204060
213862
223862
233862
243763
253763
263862
273862
283862
293862
303862
313763

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Elmira gets around 3.6 in of rain and snow over 10.4 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 34% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1340
2330
3330
4330
5330
6330
7330
8330
9330
10340
11340
12340
13340
14350
15351
16351
17351
18361
19361
20361
21361
22362
23352
24352
25352
26342
27342
28333
29333
30323
31323

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of October feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 91% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1781291
2801181
3801181
4821071
583971
684961
785861
886851
988750
1089740
1189740
1291630
1391630
1492530
1593520
1694420
1795410
1895410
1995410
2095410
2196310
2297300
2397300
2497300
2597300
2697300
2797300
2897300
2997300
3097300
3198200

Wind in October

Winds average 7 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 84 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:10 AM to 6:45 AM, and sunset from 5:43 PM to 4:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:105:43
211.56:115:41
311.56:125:39
411.46:135:37
511.46:145:36
611.36:155:34
711.36:165:32
811.26:185:31
911.26:195:29
1011.16:205:27
1111.16:215:26
1211.06:225:24
1311.06:235:22
1410.96:255:21
1510.96:265:19
1610.86:275:17
1710.86:285:16
1810.76:295:14
1910.76:315:13
2010.76:325:11
2110.66:335:10
2210.66:345:08
2310.56:365:07
2410.56:375:05
2510.46:385:04
2610.46:395:03
2710.36:405:01
2810.36:425:00
2910.36:434:59
3010.26:444:57
3110.26:454:56

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.81 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.43 kWh/m² to a high of 5.99 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 2.81 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.4Moderate
23.4Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.3Moderate
53.3Moderate
63.2Moderate
73.2Moderate
83.1Moderate
93.1Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.0Moderate
123.0Moderate
132.9Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.8Moderate
172.8Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Elmira?

Our two travel scores rate October for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

4.4
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.6
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Elmira for sightseeing.

What to pack for Elmira in October

From October's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In October, Elmira sees daytime highs around 59°F and nights near 42°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Elmira in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Elmira peaks around July 10 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 10UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Elmira?

Elmira sits at 42.1°N, 76.8°W, 853 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ithaca, 29 mi away.

Topography around Elmira

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Elmira.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Elmira has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 807 ft around an average of 948 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,204 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,228 ft.

The land around Elmira is covered by trees (48%), artificial surfaces (25%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, trees (71%) and grassland (21%) within 10 miles, and trees (72%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
807 ft
10 miles
1,204 ft
50 miles
2,228 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Ithaca 29 mi · Vestal 39 mi · Binghamton 45 mi · Cortland 48 mi · Auburn 60 mi · Williamsport 60 mi · Back Mountain 67 mi · Syracuse 74 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Elmira (42.0898°, -76.8077°, elevation 853 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).